The ongoing energy crisis has made it imperative to develop low-cost, easily fabricated, yet efficient materials. It is highly desirable for these nanomaterials to function effectively in multiple applications. Among...

The adjustable structures and remarkable physicochemical properties of 2D monoelemental materials, such as silicene and germanene, have attracted significant attention in recent years. They can be transformed into silicane (SiH) and germanane (GeH) through covalent functionalization via hydrogen atom termination. However, synthesizing these materials with a scalable and low‐cost fabrication process to achieve high‐quality 2D SiH and GeH poses challenges. Herein, groundbreaking 2D SiH and GeH materials with varying compositions, specifically Si0.25Ge0.75H, Si0.50Ge0.50H, and Si0.75Ge0.25H, are prepared through a simple and efficient chemical exfoliation of their Zintl phases. These 2D materials offer significant advantages, including their large surface area, high mechanical flexibility, rapid electron mobility, and defect‐rich loose‐layered structures. Among these compositions, the Si0.50Ge0.50H electrode demonstrates the highest discharge capacity, reaching up to 1059 mAh g⁻¹ after 60 cycles at a current density of 75 mA g⁻¹. A comprehensive ex‐situ electrochemical analysis is conducted to investigate the reaction mechanisms of lithiation/delithiation in Si0.50Ge0.50H. Subsequently, an initial assessment of the c‐Li15(SixGe1‐x)4 phase after lithiation and the a‐Si0.50Ge0.50 phase after delithiation is presented. Hence, this study contributes crucial insights into the (de)lithiation reaction mechanisms within germanane‐silicane alloys. Such understanding is pivotal for mastering promising materials that amalgamate the finest properties of silicon and germanium.

Energy harvesting and storing by dual-functional photoenhanced (photo-E) energy storage devices are being developed to battle the current energy hassles. In this research work, our investigations on the photoinduced efficiency of germanane (Ge−H) and its functionalized analogue cyanoethyl (Ge−C 2 −CN) are assessed as photocathodes in photo-E hybrid zinc-ion capacitors (ZICs). The evaluated self-powered photo-detector devices made by these germanene-based samples revealed effective performances in photogenerated electrons and holes. The photo-E ZICs findings provided a photoinduced capacitance enhancement of ∼52% (for Ge−H) and ∼26% (for Ge−C 2 − CN) at a scan rate of 10 mV s −1 under 100 mW cm −2 illumination with 435 nm wavelength. Further characterizations demonstrated that the photo-E ZIC with Ge−C 2 −CN supply higher specific capacitance (∼6000 mF g −1), energy density (∼550 mWh kg −1), and power density (∼31,000 mW kg −1), compared to the Ge−H. In addition, capacitance retention of photo-E ZIC with Ge−C 2 −CN is ∼91% after 3000 cycles which is almost 6% greater than Ge−H. Interestingly, the photocharging voltage response in photo-E ZIC made by Ge−C 2 −CN is 1000 mV, while the photocharging voltage response with Ge−H is approximately 970 mV. The observed performances in Ge−H-based photoactive cathodes highlight the pivotal role of such two-dimensional materials to be applied as single architecture in new unconventional energy storage systems. They are particularly noteworthy when compared to the other advanced photo-E supercapacitors and could even be enhanced greatly with other suitable inorganic and organic functional precursors.

Efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline electrolytes can ensure both durability and safety in electrolysis devices. The synergistic integration of metal-organic frameworks and two-dimensional materials holds promise for advancing electrocatalytic performance. Herein, we hybridized V2C MXene and the cobalt-based imidazolate zeolitic framework (ZIF-67) by an in-situ precipitation method and investigated its electrocatalytic properties for HER in 1 M KOH solution. Characterization unveiled the successful intercalation of ZIF-67 within the layers of V2C MXene nanosheets. The resulting V2C/ZIF-67 hybrid achieves a good current density of 10 mAcm−2 at a modest overpotential of 197 mV vs RHE and a Tafel slope of 76 mVdec−1. Significantly, the hybrid material shows excellent stability with a minor overpotential loss of 5.5 mV, whereas the Pt/C-20% exhibits a more pronounced loss of 15.3 mV after 12 h of chronopotentiometry. Capitalizing on ZIF-67's substantial active surface and exceptional electrical conductivity of V2C MXene, hybrid material enables the fast transfer of charges and ions across the interface, culminating in its superior electrocatalytic prowess.